In case that the urge for Premier League football or the convenience of a pub compared to a seat at the stadium wins – Madrid has several options available. One of them is James Joyce which offers the typical fare of an Irish pub with pub grub, Guinness on tap, sports on TV, and an Irish decor.
Location:
The pub has a great location in the very city center of Madrid. Furthermore it is very easy to find due to the fact that it is located on a major thoroughfare.
Address: The James Joyce | Alcala 59 | metro Banco de Espana |tel. “91 575 49 01″.
View James Joyce pub Madrid in a larger map
James Joyce Pub Exterior:
On the green sign with golden lettering it is written:
Great food | 3 giant screens | Live music
James Joyce pub Madrid entrance - facade - exterior
Review:
Below there is a review of the pub and a conclusion as to whether it is recommendable or not.
Food and drinks:
James Joyce is a decent selection of both food and drinks. The food menu includes all the usual suspects to be found in typical British pub menu. Burgers, stews, pie etc. Furthermore the menu includes a number of Spanish favorites such as tapas or fish dishes.
The house’s burger is a rather unexciting hamburger with a pre-baked bun which comes with lettuce and tomatoes and French fries. The beef has been prepared in the kitchen and added some seasoning but all in all not a very convincing meal.
Hamburger at the James Joyce pub Madrid
The drink selection includes the Irish classics Guinness and Murphy’s on tap. Furthermore there is Heineken on tap and a number of different bottled beers. There is also a large selection of Irish whiskeys.
The beer is well poured and tastes fresh and is served in a cold glass.
Service:
The service includes both staff working behind the bar and serving the tables inside and when the weather allows outside on the sidewalk. Menus are bi-lingual Spanish and English. The staff speaks both English and Spanish as well. The pub seems to be reasonably well-staffed both on a quiet afternoon as well as on a busy evening. Meals are served fairly quickly and drinks poured reasonably fast. The staff is not overly attentive when it comes attending the tables but still present.
Ambience & Entertainment:
The pub has a very amble program when it comes to broadcasting sporting events. Primarily football (soccer) from the Spanish and the English league but also matches from other leagues leagues like the Italian and the French. Besides that English favorite sports like rugby and cricket also feature on the program.
In the main room there are 4 rather standard TV screens but besides that the pub has 3 big screens which are setup for more popular or important events. Most angles in the pub are covered and have a decent view to one or more of the screens.
Besides sporting events the pub also features live Irish music on a regular basis.
The decor and the ambience is the that of typical British public house both on the inside and on the outside. One does not have any doubts as to what kind of place it is.
James Joyce pub Madrid look inside
Price:
Though the price of 8 Euros for a hamburger with French fries does not sound alarming it is probably a little more than what it is worth if the food is regarded isolated. The standard fare of a Heineken on tap for 4 Euros a pint and 2,5 Euros for half a pint seems reasonably priced.
Rating:
The scale goes from 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest. The 4 different categories evaluated above will each get a note and at the end there will be an overall rating. The overall rating is not necessarily an average of the individual notes since one or more categories might carry more weight than others.
Food & Drinks:3
Service:3
Ambience & Entertainment:4
Price:3,5
Overall Rating: 4 (3,5 if one goes there for the food).
Conclusion:
James Joyce is highly recommended as a place for having a drink and watching sports on TV or listening to live music in a cosy atmosphere. If the purpose of the visit is to have lunch or dinner there are a lot of better options in Madrid. But even if the food is not spectacular it is passable and James Joyce can be recommended also for having a meal. The service is reasonably attentive but also rather impersonal. The prices are not exorbitant but no bargain either. Probably what one would expect from a pub in the very center of a metropolis like Madrid.
Possibly Related Posts:
About admin